Looking back a couple of months when I first purchased my Sony RX100 I said that I needed some form of adapter in order to use ND Graduate filters with this camera. As most of my work is shot in the landscape, ND graduate filters are an essential accessory for me and I just can’t work without them.
If I compare my LX5 I have an adapter tube that I can screw onto a threaded ring at the base of the lens. The RX100 however has nothing like this which is why after some searching I found the Lensmate solution. I have to admit that this is not a cheap solution and having incurred £12.50 in duty charges when it was shipment into the UK, it borders on being extortionate.
Well the adapter has arrived and it looks like just a couple of small pieces of metal and plastic. Basically there is a ring that sticks to the front of the lens using 3M double sided adhesive tape. Once in place there is a second threaded adapter that mounts onto the ring and clicks into place. This allows you to easily remove any filters with a small 90 degree twist of the adapter.
Now I have to admit that I was a little worried sticking a ring to the front of my new camera. I thought that it looks fiddly and troublesome to mount correctly. The kit does however come with a simple tool that aligns the ring e3xactly. There is a supporting video on the website and having watched this it took me less than 1 minute to attach the adapter and it was perfect first time.
So despite my complaints over price this is a very good design that works very well indeed. I have used the adapter out in the field and it’s perfect. It’s also very light and small enough so that the camera still fits inside the Sony case. If you need a filter adapter for an RX100 then this is worth looking at but beware the price is high.
The Lightweight Photographer 
Robin,
Which size of Lensmate did you buy? Did you buy ND filters from them also?
I bought the 52mm because most of my lenses for my GX1 are that size so I have plenty of adapter rings. As I do mainly Landscape photography I already have a few sets of ND grads. I use HiTech at this size. They are good value for money and most importantly neutral.
Robin,
Do you use square ND grads or 52mm screw in?
Steve
Hi Stephen,
With ND Grads I always use the square slot-in types. I tried the round screw in ones years ago and found them very frustrating as you can’t control the placement. They are always across the centre of the image which plays havock with composition.
Regards
Robin
How do you attach the square ones to RX100? Only adapters I’ve seen are for screw-in filters.
The lensmate adapter fixes to the front of the lens barrel with double sided tape (very strong). The adapter comes in two pieces with the outer part having a 52mm thread. You can then screw a filter adapter ring into this thread which allows you to clip on the square filter holder. If you have the square filters/holder and a 52mm filter adpter ring, all you need is the lensmate.
Is the small lens of the RX100 able to support the weight of a complete Cokin or Lee set of holder and filter?
Thanks for the advices!
I suspect the large 100mm Lee filters would be too good but I was using HiTech 67mm in the main.
Go it, that’s what I thought. You have any suggestions for a good but not too expensive/heavy square filter holder?
It really depends on the size of the filters you want to use and the number of filters. For the RX100 I would not go any larger than the Lee Seven 5 system (75mm filters). Those are excellent but a little costly. I would be tempted to use the Hi-Tech filters which are the same size as Cokin A series. The Hi-Tech holder is robust (made from aluminium) but it only fits the Hi-Tech rings so it can get costly. What I used to do was use the Hi-Tech filters with a Cokin plastic holder and Cokin filter ring. You can by the filter holders and rings from ebay very cheaply. If you are wondering, I didn’t use Cokin filters as I have experienced some odd colour shifts in the past. If you have the funds though I would go for the Lee Seven 5 filters withoug hestitation.
I heard Colkin is pretty low grade, I’d be ok to spend up to maybe $100 a piece since I only need on grad ND and one reverse ND for sunsets. It’s the holder that I need to find, but thanks for the tips, I’ll look into it. Right now I just have the magnetic adapter and a Sigma 58mm polarizer, which works great.
Colin is pretty low grade bit it’s cheap and robust. Given your budget I would suggest the hi-tech (also called format in some countries). The 67mm is a good size for small cameras and the filters are quite good. Having said that I have had a few problems. See my recent post about filter quality. I don’t know how much the Lee filters and holders are where you live but the seven 5 series are great. I don’t know if they do a reverse grad yet though. I know hi tech do and they are a good price.
I’d be buying on amazon or b&h so location not an issue. Neighborhood photo stores have become a ripoff anyway so i don’t go there anymore. Thanks for the tips!
No problem Rich. Let me know if you have any othr questions.
Hi,
Sony sells a 49mm filter adapter, which is easier for me to get than the lensmate, and the Lee seven5 definitely looks interesting.
3mm (compared to your 52mm lensmate) isn’t that big a difference, but I’m wondering if there’s any risk of vignetting once everything is in place (adapter + square filter holder)?
Any opinion on that?
This being said, I’m going back to reading your other posts. I discovered the blog today, and really love what I see so far! 🙂
Hi Patrice. I’m not sure what the 49mm adapter is for the Sony. It’s quite possible they changed the design of the newer cameras. With the RX100 that I had there was no filter thread on the lens so the only way to attach the adapter was with the double sided tape (very strong). The lensmate was great but it was very expensive. And if you have the budget the Lee Seven 5 filters are wonderful. A very good design and the quality is impressive. I have found them better than the 100mm filter sets that I have.
Really pleased that you like my blog by the way.
All th best
Robin
The RX100 M3 doesn’t have a filter thread either, Sony’s adapter uses double-sided tape too.
Sony: http://store.sony.com/filter-adapter-zid27-VFA49R1/cat-27-catid-All-Cameras-Cyber-shot-Accessories
Lensmate: http://www.lensmateonline.com/store/RX100iii_QC_52.php
Lensmate is cheaper, but I’d have to have it shipped to Europe so final cost would be similar I guess.
It’s a matter of 49mm vs 52mm and I have no clue whether it would change anything (I don’t own any filter).
I see. In that case be careful of import taxes. I had to pay duty on the Lensmate which made it very expensive as there was also a standard duty handling fee on top. The price into the UK was almost doubled by the duty. I would be tempted to buy the Sony product as it looks very similar. The 3mm difference shouldn’t make any difference with it being so close to the lens.
Can step up ring be used in conjunction with the Lensmate adapter?
Yes, you can use stepper rings. It has a standard thread that will take any standard thread adapter or filter.